When You're at the Bottom
by Sakura-chan88
Summary: 500 years ago the Shikon jewel landed in the wrong hands. Now, in the present, Japan is run by money hungry demons and humans are spit upon. How will the children of Shikon high react when a youkai is set in the midst of them? I/K, M/S plz R
1. A History Lesson Sets the Stage

_ Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha...._   
  
Ah! I'm back! Muwahahahaha!!! This is another story from yours truly! Hope you enjoy it as much as my others and if this is the first you have read of mine, then welcome to the crowd! I like to meet new readers, so don't forget to review! I'm sure you won't, right?   
  
Anyway, this story is a little different than my others, as some of you will see. I hope I can get a good amount of a humor into this fic, though it will be a little tough. But there will be some, even if it kills me... Okay, I won't go to that drastic of a measure, but I will try my best.   
  
Also, just a warning, this story starts before the whole 'title, chapter, author' thingy, but I am not sure as to whether or not further chapters will, though...   
  
Well... On with the story!   
  
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She sat atop the school building, idly watching the ever changing clouds roll by. Clouds were never the same. One could be a tiny wisp will another could cover a vast sea, and hold but a drop of water. The shapes, as well as size, always differed. One could see a ship from one and a bunny from another- or even an enormous flying dragon. She was lucky enough to see them all. Those clouds... were a gentle representation to the life that she lived, the path she had taken, the love she gained, and the pain she endured. Her life... started with him.   
  
Gazing over her shoulder, she spotted him, watching the same sky she had. He looked regal, one could say, with the authorative air that surrounded him. He was definitely someone she could stare at for hours, yet never become accustomed to. This man...   
  
_'I owe him everything... Mankind owes him everything... The race that denied him was saved by him and they will never know.'_ She reflected sadly on the torment she heard him speak of. He was so strong and she, she was weak.   
  
It tore her up even more at this moment to know that she wouldn't be able to see the rest of his life through with him. The one that stood next to him made that certainly clear... She had to do it... to save him from her. She had to and, if she had spoken to him, to tell him how much she cared, he wouldn't hear. That tore her up the most. She had never told him. He would never know. _'For you... I will...'_   
  
She saw the glint in the womans eye, telling her clearly that it was time to end the game. The game which held his life in its center. The game that would only end when his life did. The game that began when they had met. A game that could only be called a game by a person who saw the irony in the situation. She saw it. The game was at its end and running into over time. She would keep it going... With a simple, yet complex sacrific. It wouldn't end; not with her still living.   
  
Looking back to him one last time, she stood and balanced on the world's edge. If it took this, she was strong enough to do it. That was all the strength she had. _'For you.'_   
  


**~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~   
When You're at the Bottom** _   
A History Lesson sets the Stage_   
By Sakura-chan88   
**~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~**

  
  
An ordinary first day at Shikon High. The halls were crowded and gossip could be heard from the groups of girls whereas the up coming sport's seasons was the big discussion with the boys. A few loners walked aimlessly through the hall, watching gangs of friends with a distant longing. A few giggles resounded from one particular rabble of girls, which happened to be the snottiest and richest of the school. Well, not the richest.   
  
The one that walked through the hall, receiving a few cat call's and a polite smile from a few girls here and there, was the wealthiest. Wealthy with minimum popularity. Higurashi Kagome.   
  
She loved it.   
  
Money and personal space. What more could a girl ask for?   
  
The personal space didn't come easily, though. In order to get that, she had punched one of her 'fans' for being 'overfriendly'. That happened in the third grade and all the poor boy had done was try to drape his arm over her shoulder. Funny thing was, that boy happened to be her best friend at this point, but no one else needed to know that. After all, no one would believe a girl could be 'only friends' with Mujaki Miroku.   
  
Speaking of Miroku...   
  
***SMACK***   
  
"HENTAI!" A familiar voice screeched angrily.   
  
Kagome shook her head in pity. She had once believed Sango to be a very smart girl- someone that learned fast. Even though Sango was her only other true friend, she had to admit that, when it came to Miroku, Sango was a little... slow...   
  
Rounding the corner, she found her friends standing in front of their first hour class. Well, Miroku was sprawled on the ground with a red hand print on his cheek and Sango jumping on his back, shouting at him.   
  
"You. Are. Such. A. JERK!" Each word came out when she landed, emphasizing her statement extraordinarily well.   
  
"Mou... Sango, don't you think your being a little too harsh?" Kagome asked, watching Miroku's expression twist in pain when she stopped jumping and dug her heal in his back.   
  
With an innocent smile, Sango regarded her in a forced tone of sweetness, "not at all!" Kagome just giggled.   
  
After helping her beaten friend to his feet, she sighed and entered the class. "Oh, yippee. History is our first hour this year, is it?" Her voice dripped with scornful sarcasm.   
  
"Isn't it odd that we seem to have the same classes at the same time with the same classmates each year?" Miroku asked dryly as his eyes surveyed the room.   
  
Kagome had to admit some truth behind that. Ever since the sixth grade, Kagome, Sango, Miroku had been stuck in the same first and fifth hour classes with Aoi Kikyo and Kami Yura. One year, to Kagome's dismay, they had also had sixth hour together. And every year, History was first hour, Art was fifth hour, and sixth hour was P.E.   
  
"So, Kikyo?" Kagome asked with a neutral expression. Kikyo responded by lifting a paper with her classes in the air. This was the only time of the year that the 'truce' existed. Any other time, had either of them spoken to each other, a fight would have broken out. It seemed everything was working against them this year.   
  
They would be spending six hours of school together... Their classes were identical.   
  
"It looks like I'll be able to help you in each of your classes this year," Kagome sneered. "We don't want you flunking, and since we'll be having the same classes, it would be so easy to help. What do you say, dear?"   
  
"Sorry, sweetie, but I don't need your help," Kikyo replied. "You see, I am an A+ student in math and, to be frank, I don't feel like having that grade drop. Perhaps I'll help you. After all, daddy's money doesn't mean a thing if your brain can't comprehend such simple subjects."   
  
And that was the trumpet, sounding the war's commencing.   
  
Kagome's palm was first to connect with her opponent's face and Yura's fist was first to blow a punch. Kikyo fell out of her seat from the hit while Kagome stumbled backward and Sango took a fighting stance. In a flash, Yura was knocked over the teachers desk and Kikyo was on her feet. Before Kagome knew it, she was being dragged back by Miroku as he stepped in front of Kikyo's assault.   
  
By the time the teacher had arrived, the uninvolved student's had lined the wall to watch and, at the teacher's entrance, Sango, Miroku, and Yura stopped fighting. Sango had broken Yura's nose and received a bruise on her cheek. Miroku had a few scratches on his arm. However, Kagome and Kikyo hadn't finished their battle and didn't plan to.   
  


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

  
  
_'Poor teacher,'_ Kagome thought with absolutely no feeling. The stupid teacher had stepped between her and Kikyo when she was just about to tear her hair out of her head. For that, Kikyo had kneed him in the stomach and Kagome had slapped him. On accident, they'd exclaimed.   
  
Afterward, they had both sat back and laughed, giving each other a high-five. Realizing what they had done, they began another fight which resulted in their parents being called. Their parents merely waved a thousand dollars (sorry, I am not familiar with Yen) in the Principles face and left.   
  
Walking back to first hour, which would be over in ten minutes or so, Kagome yawned. Fighting takes a lot of energy.   
  
She walked into class, apologizing to the teacher and explaining that she was given a month of detention- though she hadn't- and took her seat next to Sango. She looked bored. Totally and utterly bored. Miroku looked just as bad, but the rest of the class... They were fuming as wave after wave of pure rage washed off of them.   
  
_'No again,'_ she groaned in exasperation. Every year started out the same way. Why couldn't the teachers find a more stimulating lecture for the first day?   
  
"As I was saying," the teacher- Mr. Waruko- spoke with disgust. Kagome vaguely noticed the red mark on his face and stifled a squeal of delight. "Humans, for the past 500 years, have been ruled by _youkai_," he spat. "Youkai, as we all know, have the power to see us gutted for any reason they find suitable. If you do anything to anger or annoy them, you will find yourself wishing for a quick death. Punishment for looking at them the wrong way could be anyway from imprisonment to torture to death. This has been a very dark time for humans, as we had once had an upper hand. Can anyone tell me what went wrong?"   
  
Kagome rose her hand boredly, not wanting to listen to the teacher anymore. He liked his voice way too much.   
  
"Yes, Ms. Higurashi?"   
  
"The Miko known as Midoriko defeated a swarm of youkai at the cost of her life. In doing so, her heart was rejected by her body and forced out, along with the spirits her powers had collected, and formed a jewel known as the Shikon no Tama. This school was named after it to scorn us for our stupidity," she said, reciting the lines every teacher had spoken.   
  
She continued, saying, "the jewel had the power to grant a youkai any wish because of the evil souls within. A group of villager's found it and took it to a Miko in the nearest village. However, the village was not near enough and a youkai claimed it as his own before it reached its destination. That youkai, who is still live today and is known as Naraku, used the jewel to track down and eliminate all Miko or potential threats."   
  
At this point Sango took over. "All potential threats from that era were wiped out and Naraku assumed the spot as ruler of Japan. Japan, under his control, was divided into a social latter. Human slaves were stripped of all possessions and given the lowest spot on the latter. Human's with little or no money were forced into this category. Wealthy humans were the only ones to escape imprisonment. Each human must work for money to pay Naraku or suffer enslavement."   
  
"They are the next highest on the latter," Miroku muttered. "Hanyou are stuck between wealthy humans and poor youkai. Depending on the situation its parents are in, the hanyou may be disowned, banished, or- if they are lucky- given a chance to prove themselves. They have it easier than us, though."   
  
Kagome stayed silent. She wasn't so sure that they were right. She had seen only one hanyou before and she had been beaten by her own kind and spat on by humans. That was something that not even a human slave endured, but when she tried to help the girl, she had bit her and run away.   
  
Taking a deep breath, Kagome spoke, "Youkai have a latter of their own. Based on yearly income, they are split into sections- the wealthiest on the top and the poorest on the bottom. Naraku is on top and will remain there until someone dethrones him. Since no known Miko exist, we can only pray for help from Kami."   
  
"Very well said," Mr. Waruko said curtly. "Extra credit will be given to each of you... Higurashi Kagome, Mujaki Miroku and... Taijiya Sango." He turned his attention to a green grade book, marking them down for the given points. "Now," he began, his voice like venom. "Onto facilities we should be thankful to have and why we have them-"   
  
** _ BBBBBBRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIINNNNNNNGGGGGGGG!_**   
  
"Which we will begin with tomorrow," he added. "Have a great first day at Shikon High."   
  
Kagome shook her head. All the teachers were the same. Each and every one of them. The all changed moods at the speed of light. Each had that tone of voice that, even when they are speaking politely, you know that you are in trouble or will be very soon. Plus, they all made Kagome sick to her stomach. She couldn't stand school, but they had choosen to go all the way through, then go into college for a couple years, and **then** teach in a school. How could they stand it!   
  
_'Oh well, not need to ponder useless things...'_   
  


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

  
  
Now, sitting in art class, Kagome found herself smiling at the back of a fuming Sango's head. Miroku had choosen to sketch an assumption of what she would look like with nothing more than clouds covering her personal areas. Of course, Sango was more than made and had shown it by throwing her shoe at him. He, in turn, ducked under the desk and the shoe found its way to the teacher. Luckily, it was intersepted by some innocent bystandard. A boy named Hojo, she later found out.   
  
Sango had explained herself, flushing in embassassement, but when the teacher saw it, it just made matters worse. The teacher- Mrs. Takani- loved it. She said, 'it is a great representation of the essence of human beauty. It is a complement to find yourself in such art. This here- this is truely art.'   
  
Personally, Kagome thought Mrs. Takani had gone senile- or blind. Either way, she hadn't helped at all. Sango beat Miroku even harder. The teacher had unknowingly given his ego a boost. A _huge_ boost.   
  
Kagome sighed and looked at her picture. They had been doing sketches, of course, but Kagome couldn't stand to keep her sketch colorless. She'd be marked down for sure.   
  
Her picture was of a lone miko standing on a grassy hilltop, watching as the clouds rolled by with nothing more than a shadow to keep her company. It wasn't her shadow either. THough others wouldn't notice it, the shadow turned out to be much diffrent then the person casting it. The shadow was dubbed the miko's lover- her warrior; a night in shinning armor. Kagome didn't know how it was possible, but the drawing just flowed out of her. Even the deing sunset and the bow held as if to pierce the sun with its arrow were drawn without thought, but meant something. She understood the meaning.   
  
The sunset was one of crimson, illistrating the tragic fall of the mikos. The bow held in defiance was a glimmer of hope that not all perished, that one fought and survived, that one broke free the bonds of fate and defied history. The lone miko wasn't an unknown. That miko was Kagome.   
  
Kagome snorted. _'If only I was one. I could help...'_ It was only a fantasy. A fantasy with a missing piece. That shadow.   
  
"HENTAI!" Sango shrieked and a resounding slap followed. "MI-RO-KU!"   
  
Leaning back in her chair, Kagome watched the fight unfold. She should have seen that coming... All first days were the same.   
  
After a few minutes of watching her friend be helplessly beaten, she intervined and escorted him to the nurse. Moments later, he exited the nurse's office with a new handprint on his face. Kagome merely chuckled at his innocent 'sorry, I couldn't help it' expression, which was made complete with a shrug.   
  
"When will you learn, Miroku?" she asked, walking back to class with him. "You would think that after going to the same school for ten years, you would have learned to leave her be."   
  
"Haven't you ever thought it possible that I have tried that?"   
  
"Nope."   
  
Miroku sighed. "Nobody takes me seriously."   
  
"I wonder why," she said dryly.   
  
** _ BBBBBBRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIINNNNNNNGGGGGGGG!_**   
  
"Well," Miroku sighed. "It's time for P.E."   
  
"You don't sound as happy as usual," Kagome commented, changing directions.   
  
"Would you speak happily about something that you know will get you hurt?" She shook her head. "Well, believe it or not Kagome, I don't either."   
  
"So don't do anything to get pummeled by Sango," she said in exasperation. "Surely it isn't that hard to do!"   
  
"Hmm...."   
  
Kagome sighed in disgust and stalked off. "Men."   
  
"What about us?"   
  
"You never make anything simple and when you do, nothing happens."   
  
"Huh?"   
  
"Just think about it. You'll understand faster than you want to."   
  


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

  
  
"HENTAI!"   
  
Kagome looked over to Sango with a slanted expression. There were currently sitting on the bleachers, watching as the basketball game steadily turned into a 'beat Miroku senseless' rampage. "See, you aren't the only one."   
  
"He will never learn... will he?"   
  
::::::silence::::::   
  
"HENTAI!"   
  
"No," the said in unison.   
  
"HENTAI!"   
  
***SLAP***   
  
"Not in a thousand years," Kagome muttered.   
  
"HENTAI!"   
  
***SLAP***   
  
***THUD***   
  
"Better make that two thousand," Sango recalculated, flinching as another girl struck the already bruised Miroku.   
  
"Should we save him this time?"   
  
"NO!" Sango huffed. "Last time I was rewarded by him 'falling' on me."   
  
"Sango... That was really an accident, ne?"   
  
She blushed and looked away. "So what? It wasn't an accident that his hands landed _there_."   
  
"HENTAI!"   
  
Kagome watched as one of the girls got hold of the basketball and checked it at the back of Miroku's head. Miroku suddenly felt that it was time to take a nap.   
  
"Ummm... Sango?"   
  
"Hmm?"   
  
"Miroku's unconscious again."   
  
::::::silence::::::   
  
"HENTAI!"   
  
"Never mind."   
  
  
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A/N: So, how was it? Did you enjoy the begining? I hope so! I now that I shouldn't be writing another story with 'You!' not complete, but this one came to me and I couldn't ignore it. Also, the begining of this one started out uniquely and I am not sure if it will continue that way. If it does, then it will be a really jumble, but that might not be all that bad.... Hmmm.... Anyway, Inu will make his debut on either the next chapter or the one after, okay?   
  
Well... Good, bad, could be better? Comments, questions, suggestion, anything goes! Creative criticism is appreciated! Review, please.   
  
Ja ne minna! 


	2. Close Encounters With Silver and Gold

**Disclaimer: Nope! Don't own Inuyasha! I've finally gotten over my denial... I think...**   
  
A/N: Thank you, everyone, for such wonderful reviews! They really make my day!   
  
Please, forgive me if this chapter seems a bit rushed, but I've been having serious WB and I wanted to get this out for my birthday- didn't work, though. *sighs*...   
  
Well... Hope you enjoy!   
  
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_'There's nothing I can do, without you by my side. You knew this, didn't you? That's why you left me to fend for myself...   
  
'Well, I get the hint now...   
  
'I didn't think you cared as much as you've shown me with this...   
  
'And you'll never get to here the words I want to say the most...   
  
'You just had to listen... when you walked away that night... and truly hear what I had to say.   
  
**Does it hurt thinking the words most needed to be heard didn't fall on deaf ears, but ears unwilling to listen?**   
  
'I wouldn't be here now. I'd be at your feet, not at the end of my rope- my life's rope. Have you nothing to say? If you have something to say, shyness isn't your friend.   
  
'But...   
  
'Fate never has been either of ours, has it been?   
  
**Does it hurt you to know we'll never see each other again?**   
  
'All feelings go hand in hand: love is dimmed without hate; joy impossible without misery; happiness means nothing without sadness and all her glory; peace and war- every couple goes through these times, and all time goes through these problems, whether physically, mentally, emotionally; there is no end to the friend and foe acquaintances everyone lives through.   
  
'People say, you have to breath.   
  
'I'm not breathing.   
  
'Everyone says, you must eat.   
  
'I've never tasted anything sweat enough to 'must' have it again- so I gave it up long ago.   
  
'You say to me, you have to live.   
  
'Is it possible, would you understand if I told you, I'm living, yet, somehow, dead.   
  
**Does it hurt knowing I'm thinking this?**   
  
'They say, you have to drink to stay alive.   
  
'... Drink...? I've been living off drinking in the sorrows of others through these retched ears, drinking in the dismay the world displays through far too open eyes, drinking in hatred from those I love most by this filthy and tainted heart of mine.   
  
'Can you deny me a place of permanent peace? Can you shun me for the contempt I now display? Can you feel anything but discord in this twisted soul of mine?   
  
**Does it hurt you, these feelings coursing in your soul?**   
  
'...I'll die willingly...   
  
'If your eyes would stop shining such pity my way, I could die willingly with honor and emptiness.   
  
'After all... I'm only here, because you lead me to this destination.   
  
**Does it hurt to see so plainly what you've done to everything I once cherished?**   
  
'Tell me, you, the only living person I'll ever see again, who stands staring at me with blank and lifeless eyes, mind gone and wondering, heart steadily beating as I inch just a bit closer to the edge:   
  
** Does it hurt?**   
  
'My heart does- more than these glittering, water-filled eyes can show and more than my quivering mouth can say.   
  
'You'll never hear the words I want to say the most... Those words so important to me, the ones that have kept me living for so long, those I believed would make us at last see eye-to-eye, are never to be heard... never to be known, or noticed... never realized...   
  
'And for that...'_   
  
"I hate you..."   
  


**~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~   
When You're at the Bottom** _   
Close Encounters With Silver and Gold_   
By Sakura-chan88   
**~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~**

  
  
Walking home with her two closest friends, Kagome's mind wandered away, leaving her to stare blankly at her moving feet. Every day seemed to be the same, melted together in a tangle of almost identical memories. Boy was life bland. Especially for the rich.   
  
"What are we going to do today? Want to go see a movie?" Sango asked boredly.   
  
"Why? To see the fall of man kind for the one-hundred and third time?" Kagome replied, raising a skeptical eyebrow and giving a 'you must be kidding' tone of voice. "No thank you."   
  
"What about going out for dinner? We haven't done that in a while," Sango muttered, holding her math book against her chest, thinking with a furrowed brow.   
  
"Sorry, I can't-"   
  
"Souta can come, too, if your parents are gone on another of those business trips," she cut in hurriedly.   
  
"I can't either, though," Miroku mumbled downtroddenly. "I have to entertain Mushin with my knowledge of what Monks were like before the Shikon no Tama and everything... again."   
  
"I didn't ask you," stated Sango coolly.   
  
"Although," Miroku began, looking thoughtful. "I could say I'm studying with you- there are a few things we should get done."   
  
"Studying?" Sango repeated, laughing at the ridiculous statement. "You have all of your work done already, Miroku. What more could you possibly want to study on?"   
  
"Well, we could study up on anatomy," suggested Miroku with the most serious of expressions. Sango scowled. "Chemistry wouldn't be a bad idea either."   
  
***SMACK***   
  
The star-filled eyes swirled in pain as Miroku hit the ground with a dull thud.   
  
"Hentai," Sango hissed, walking away from the fallen man. "I can't believe you."   
  
Kagome merely shook her head, strolling down the road, leaving the boy were he lay. He could get himself back on his own feet. She was content on walking mindlessly home. Still, since today wanted to prove her 'every day is the same' theory wrong and change its routine a bit, that was going to be easier said than done. Half way home, she unexpectedly ran into a detour- literally.   
  
"Kya!" she screamed in surprise, stumbling backwards. Grasping the nearest thing to her, which happened to be the detour's companion, she fell ungraciously to the cold, cement ground.   
  
"Ouch!" a little girl yipped. "Let go!"   
  
"Sorry," Kagome mumbled, releasing the girl's arm. "I didn't mean it-"   
  
A hand snaked around her throat, squeezing the sentence to its death and bringing a trembling teenage girl up to eye level with its owner. "Watch where you are going, human," a cold voice spoke, snatching the teen's attention from the hand that pressed menacingly on her airway.   
  
Gasping and open eyes enough to take in the speaker, Kagome came face to face with a youkai. His golden eyes gave him away- the pointed, elf-like ears and the clearly demon markings helped complete that judgment. His gaze was expressionless, almost haunting in a sense... She could only hope that he wasn't a heartless youkai, but his looks didn't give her much to hope about.   
  
Everything but the fluffy, boa-like object encircling his unused arm gave her a feeling of unease and hopelessness.   
  
"I could kill you right here if I wanted to," he stated, his grip tightening in emphasis. "However, I will not waste my time."   
  
Kagome's eyes widened as far as they could while he released her neck, dropping her to the ground gracelessly. She coughed, bring her own hand up to massage the throbbing body part, gasping for much needed oxygen. "Th-thank you, sir..."   
  
The man turned away, taking a step as he continued to speak, "You will not live if it happens again... Come, Rin."   
  
The small girl - the same one, Kagome noted, that she had pulled to the ground with her earlier - studied the teenager for a moment, as the teenager returned the scrutiny, her hand still unconsciously rubbing her throat..   
  
The girl, Rin, looked to be the same age as Souta, around 11 or so. Her hair was cut short- the sign of a slave- and her cheeks were smudged with dirt. The dress she wore looked as if it had seen more years than the Shikon no Tama had; it was as if she were covered by mere rags. Kagome couldn't help but feel pity for the child.   
  
However, to Kagome's surprise, Rin smiled brightly in forgiveness, bowing before she left. Most slaves were not even permitted to smile! With the excitement- terror- from the encounter with the youkai, then with the child slave, Kagome swore that if her heart ever returned to normal, she would die from the sheer shock of it.   
  
This was the first time, and the last time, she prayed, that she had ever encountered a youkai that closely. She wasn't up for another meeting.   
  
So much for a normal day...   
  


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

  
  
Kagome yawned, flopping down onto her bed. She had always thought it humorous that she lived in a shrine house with the billions of dollars her family had. Her father was just trying to keep the money, she guessed. No need making a gamble like buying a mansion only to lose the job he had- that's how _he_ had explained it.   
  
_'Nothing to do, again... There's nothing on t.v. to watch-even with the 500 different channels-, no new books to read... Of course, I could do my homework... Is there really nothing better to do than homework?!'_ She was back to being bored. _'What's the point of having money when there is nothing to do with it!'_   
  
Sighing, she stood to look out her window, watching the moon's light shimmer through a break in the clouded night sky. Her life seemed to always be reflected there, in the endless expanse... So strange. She felt so empty inside, her mind fogged and her hope dimming. A hope that maybe there was such a thing as a happy ending- or at least a happy middle in her story.   
  
Too bad, there wasn't one thing in her life right now- minus her friends and younger brother- that made her happy in the least. Money meant nothing- only that, to the public, she was a role model and must 'uphold the family honor'. In other words, she must play the perfect daughter. She was sick of it.   
  
Buyo, her obese cat, meowed for attention, patting at her hand that was closest. Giggling, Kagome scratched Buyo's chin. "Of course, I couldn't forget about you, now could I?"   
  
"Mroow!"   
  
"That's right," she said, sitting on the edge of her bed. Her life was so dull.   
  
_'Money,'_ she snorted. _'The start of all wars and end of man-kind's peace. How could it mean so much?'_   
  
Her hand went to her neck once more, rubbing away at the pain that had long since passed... _'...Or is it... power?'_   
  


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

  
  
The phone rang as Kagome finished her final draft for the Language Arts 'Summer Time Essay' explaining what was oh, so special about the prolonged break from school. Why they were required to do homework on the first day was far beyond her.   
  
"Moshi, moshi," she heard her brother greet from down stairs. There was a brief pause. "IT'S FOR YOU, SIS!"   
  
"THANKS SOUTA!"   
  
"YOU DON'T HAVE TO YELL!"   
  
"OKAY, SOUTA!"   
  
Kagome laughed silently as she bound down the stairs to her awaiting brother, ruffling his hair as she reached for the phone. He pouted, slapping away her offending hand and left with a huff.   
  
"Kagome speaking," she announced brightly.   
  
"Hey, Kagome," Miroku responded, questioning her about the background noise.   
  
"Souta's blaring the radio, again," sighed Kagome, placing her forehead on the wall in front of her as fatigue set in. "What did you call for?"   
  
"... Well... I was wondering if you'd do me a favor."   
  
"Depends."   
  
"... It's Sango."   
  
"That much is obvious, Miroku," she informed him, chuckling at his pause in response.   
  
"Can you go to dinner with us- she won't go without you," he grumbled. "I still can't understand it. She's always saying, 'not without Kagome' or 'is Kagome gonna be there' or 'what, just you and me? Kagome isn't going?'"   
  
"Trust is the first step to a woman's heart- or at least in this case," Kagome explained. "She doesn't trust you to stay to yourself."   
  
"I _try_, though. Isn't that enough?"   
  
"Nope!"   
  
_Beep.... Beep.... Beep...._   
  
"Hold on, someone's trying to get through."   
  
"Sure."   
  
"Kagome speaking."   
  
"Hey, Kagome-chan," chirped Sango from the other line. "Listen, before you start that whole pointless- oh, hey, how you doing- stuff, I have a really big favor to ask of you-"   
  
"Let me guess," Kagome muttered dryly, sighing as she rattled off the situation. "You want me to go with you to a restaurant so that you and Miroku can have some time together, yet not 'together together' and have me play monkey in the middle when he touches you and you slap him, and have me take your side in all of your arguments just to prove Miroku wrong- even if he is absolutely, one hundred percent, over the top correct?"   
  
"... Yeah, I guess you could say that," Sango stammered. "How did you know?"   
  
"Miroku's on the other line."   
  
"Oh... That explains it..."   
  
She sighed, shaking her head as her friend began to grumble about the sneaky boy who beat her to pitching Kagome the idea. Typical Sango for you.   
  
"Hey, I'll patch you in on the other line-"   
  
"No, wait-"   
  
The damage was done.   
  
"Sango?"   
  
"Hello, you have reached the Saito residence," Sango began, deepening her voice. "We are sorry to inform you that we are presently away from home. Please leave your name and number after the beep... Beep..."   
  
"Dude! You totally sound like a hottie- what's your number again?" Miroku exclaimed. Kagome slapped her forehead. The dolt! Oh, but he wasn't finished with 'Saito', yet. "Name's Miroku- call me, k? 733-"   
  
"Miroku!" Sango screeched in rage. "You h-"   
  
"Hey- you're really there!" Miroku chirped. "Hold on, I was just getting through to Saito- anyway... 733-72-"   
  
"Beep!" Sango mimicked again.   
  
"Nooooo!"   
  
"Miroku, you idiot!" Kagome yelped. "I thought we were going to the restaurant..."   
  
"Ah, Sango dear, did you ask Kagome yet?"   
  
"Obviously," Sango hissed.   
  
"Yes, I'll go," Kagome answered with a sigh, cutting off anything Sango might say to discourage him or start another useless fight. "The Heart's Delight, right?" A murmur of concurrence sounded through the receiver. "Sure, I'll be there, but I have to bring Souta."   
  
"No problem," Miroku chuckled. "The more the merrier."   
  
"True," muttered she, twisting the phone cord around her finger as her mind blanked out a moment. After listening to Miroku sing some unknown song for a moment, Kagome shook herself back to reality. "Well, what time should I be there?"   
  
"6:30," Miroku answered instantly, followed by "6:00," from Sango.   
  
"What!? We're supposed to meet at 6:00," Sango screeched.   
  
"But, Sango dear, can't we have just a little alone time?"   
  
"For you to grope me!?"   
  
"... Um..."   
  
As yet another fight broke out, Kagome hung up, calling for Souta to tell him to get ready. It was already a quarter passed five and she didn't want to show up late and find Miroku on the ground and pieces of a shattered chair around him...   
  
She shivered. Just how did he live through it?   
  


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

  
  
"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon!" Souta whined, pulling his sister by the arm as they walked through the semi-crowded streets of Tokyo. "I'm hungry!"   
  
"You're always hungry, Souta..."   
  
"Sesshomaru-sama, Sesshomaru-sama!" a squeaky, highly pitched voice called out as a green-toad like youkai walked passed the girl, slapping her with his staff on the back. "Out of my way, filthy human. Sesshomaru-sama, Sessho-oh?"   
  
Kagome rubbed her sore back as the toad went flying down the pavement to land a few feet in front of her. She blinked. _'Wha...?'_   
  
"Be quiet," a monotonous voice ordered, as a man brushed past the still confused teen.   
  
"I'm sorry, m'lord," the toad exclaimed, jumping to his feet and bowing low... repeatedly... without any acknowledgement from the silver haired demon.   
  
"A youkai slave?" Kagome mumbled in a puzzled manner.   
  
The bowing being stopped to glare at her and yell. "I am not a slave, you wretched slim!" His staff swung around, the Old Man's Head facing her. "You'll die for your insult!"   
  
"Jaken," Sesshomaru barked. "Let her be. You are wasting my time."   
  
Jaken turned startled eyes to the man ordering him around. "But, m'lord-"   
  
"Wait," Kagome began, recognizing Sesshomaru's voice. "You're that man I ran in to earlier, aren't you?"   
  
"S-s-s-she's talking to you," Jaken gasped. "And she ordered you to 'wait'." Then snarled. "She'll pay for speaking out of place with such rebellion."   
  
"You are wearing my patience thin," the youkai stated simply, drawing a foot up and kicking Jaken away. He looked back at her with his golden gaze. Her heart faltered. "Girl, consider yourself lucky that I've already shed blood today."   
  
That was the last he said as he approached the unconscious toad youkai, kicking him farther down the road. (A/N: Just a quick note on my own belief. I truthfully think that Sesshomaru wouldn't be himself without Jaken- Jaken's his only friend(companion) through the beginning of the series. I like to think he doesn't look at Jaken as a servant, but someone to vent anger out on- k?- and no, I'm not saying he's gay- GOOD GOD, help us all if he is... *shutters* Ewww....)   
  
Kagome took a deep breath to help slow her quickly pulsing heart, pushing her brother toward the restaurant as he just stood and gaped at her, sending chills down her spine. "Quit that!"   
  
"..." The boy's eyes grew in size as his mouth clamped shut. He looked away, a smile starting to form...   
  
By the time they had arrived- a whole three seconds late- Souta's lips were pulled back as far as they could go in a beaming grin. Kagome didn't bother to ask what he was so proud of as a screech sounded through the air, causing Kagome's heart to jump in her chest. What if someone was being killed by a youkai right here, right now!?   
  
But...   
  
She knew it wasn't life threatening...   
  
After all....   
  
Miroku had a hard head...   
  
" **HENTAI**!!!!!!!!!"   
  
*SMACK*   
  
Souta shot through the building in a flash, hurried to get to Miroku and Sango. Kagome, almost grudgingly, followed.   
  
Miroku was sprawled on the floor beside a fuming Sango sitting in one of the four chairs surrounding the empty table. That glowing handprint looked very menacing....   
  
"Um... sorry, I was late," Kagome said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. "Ran into a little... detour."   
  
"It was sooooo cool!" Souta shouted, grabbing Sango's sleeve and tugging. "Kagome stood up to a youkai- a youkai lord!"   
  
Sango's jaw dropped as she surveyed her friend for injuries. Kagome shook the look off. Miroku laughed in his unconscious state. "Silly Sango- that boomerang is heavier than you..."   
  
"Um... right," the dream-mentioned girl muttered uncertainly. "... Maybe I hit him a little too hard this time..."   
  
"But, that suit covers everything," he pouted.   
  
"No, I don't think so..."   
  
"Spandex... hm... hot springs..."   
  
"Definitely not," Kagome giggled, taking a seat. Today was so much... different...   
  
She could only hope tomorrow would be just as eventful. She needed excitement in her life.   
  


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

  
  
Tick-tock-tick-tock   
  
Tick-tock-tick-tock   
  
tick-tock-tick-ZZZZ   
  
ZZZZ-ZZZZ-ZZZZ-ZZZZ   
  
ZZZZ-ZZZZ-ZZZZ-ZZZZ   
  
"KAGOME!" her mother screeched, the sound muffled by the golden alarm-clock whose bell was constantly vibrating. "GET UP!"   
  
"HM UMPH!" she shouted into her pillow, an arm thrusting out to punch the offending noise maker. The clock hit the wall with a satisfying 'clang!'. "Shtuphid Shoutah... Keephink mey umph wif shtuphid shtoriech." (Translation- just in case ^_^- "Stupid Souta... Keeping me up with stupid stories.")   
  
Yawning widely and turning to lay on her back, Kagome rubbed her eyes clear of sleep, the dreamy glaze washing out.   
  
Last night she had been stuck at the restaurant for three hours- to let Miroku eat since he was knocked out for a good two hours- and listened to her encounter with that odd silver haired youkai. Of course, it was exaggerated greatly. After trying to correct him for the twelfth time, she gave up and let him tell it his way.   
  
.... Then when she got home, Mom and Dad were back and fussing over her unkempt hair... until Souta exclaimed, "Kagome yelled at a youkai!" She sighed, "I did not yell, I asked a question." Souta countered, "He tried to kill you- then the other guy, another youkai, saved your life! Then he-"   
  
The whole time, her parents got a distant look in their eyes and edged away from her...   
  
... What was their problem...?   
  
She shrugged it off and got dressed in a rush.   
  
At breakfast, her parents, again, stayed away from her. They said nothing more than 'good morning' before acting like she wasn't there. Not like she cared. At least they weren't yelling at her for not brushing her hair into the 'perfect sweeping' ponytail.   
  
Leaving, Kagome trotted out the door happily smiling, halting only to hear the one statement that could make her scowl.   
  
"Tidy your hair up, Kagome!" her mother called from the dining room.   
  
"Of course, Mother Dearest," Kagome hissed beneath her breath, her sunshine dispersed completely.   
  


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

  
  
"Oh, Kagome," Kikyou called as she strutted into their first hour class room. "I'm sorry to disappoint you dear, but I'm leaving for today- can't miss my manicure."   
  
"You came to school just to tell me?" Kagome asked the beaming girl. "Man, you have no life, do you?"   
  
Kikyou's smile faltered as a serious, and slightly depressed, look took residence on her face. "... What kind of life am I supposed to have with youkai running it?"   
  
"What, you're a slave now?" Kagome laughed, disregarding the somberness that surrounded the girl in front of her. "Oh, the day that Queen Kikyou the No-Life-Slut becomes a slave is the day I die happy."   
  
_'Much thanks, Sango,'_ Kagome thought as a hand caught Kikyou's wrist to stave off the assault.   
  
"Not today, Kikyou," Sango hissed. "You'd break one of your precious nails."   
  
Kikyou spun on her heel, stomping to the doorway. "Fine, but Kagome-chan..." She paused, then turned back to the girl sitting lazily in her assigned desk. "... You missed a strand- bad girl. Didn't your parents tell you to keep tidy, Princess Perfect?"   
  
Kagome's eye twitched as she promptly crumbled the pencil in her hand to create a pile of now useless sawdust and lead shavings. Oh, that does it!   
  
"Wow..."   
  
The astonished whisper from Miroku was enough to twist her anger into curiosity. She gazed at the boy seated to her left, one chair behind Sango. He was looking at her desk... She did, too...   
  
"What?" she asked, sliding her attention back to the amazed classmate.   
  
"You're strong..."   
  
This time both eyes began to twitch irritably. "Mi-ro-ku... I'm gonna-!"   
  
BBBBRRRRRRRIIIIIIINNNNNNNNGGGGGGGG!   
  
"Okay, class, take your seats," the teacher commanded, turning away from his place at the chalk board where he had written a few words. However, his position covered it.   
  
_'Inu...? What about a dog?'_   
  
"Before we begin today's lesson, let's do a quick introductory. Students, please state your name, age, likes, dislikes, and such when I call your name. Stand when you speak."   
  
A few students down the line, it was Kagome's turn. "Higurashi Kagome, 17. I like reading, writing, talking with friends, drawing, and singing." Taking a deep breath, she said what everyone expected her to say for dislikes... "I don't like youkai, Naraku, or the Shikon no Tama- or Midoriko... and I don't like-"   
  
However, the teacher had moved on to the next person in line, thinking she had just given every answer she could possibly have given.   
  
"-being ignored," Kagome whispered as she took her seat again.   
  
She zoned out until a particular name caught her attention. Seems Sango and Miroku were also shocked into snapping to look at the called on girl.   
  
"Saito Tsuki," a blonde said, giggling as she stood. "18. I like walks in the park and... *blush* my boyfriend."   
  
Miroku sighed and slumped back in his seat. 'Darn,' he mouthed, snapping his fingers and gaining everyone's attention... and Sango's livid glare.   
  
The introductions were finished once Sango complete the 'I hate' speech.   
  
"Now, where were we...? Ah, yes," the teacher began, looking up with clouded eyes. "Facilities. Stores for humans are to purchase clothing to show we are higher than our slave brothers; for youkai, they are to flaunt the fact that we are all below them and subjected to servitude. Libraries are for humans to read about the fall of mankind, as the theater's display it. Libraries for youkai are to keep records of the humans killed and the... Blah, blah, blah, blah..."   
  
Kagome sighed, looking at her desk and drawing symbols around the center. A flicker of white scraped across the glossed board, stopping short of the edge. A note from Sango, no doubt.   
  
'Kagome,   
Listen(well, read, I mean), I was thinking that we should go to the park later. What do you think? Kohaku's been bugging and I thought you could bring Souta so they'll stay out of our hair for a while.   
Sango.'   
  
The pencil she was drawing with began to scribble its own message on the white compressed tree fibers.   
  
'Sango, I know who you are, okay?   
That sounds fine, as long as we don't run into that one youkai... He was creepy... Yeah, I think Mom is out of town for a Women's Convention(who would want to go there, anyway?) and Dad left this morning for another business trip- four days, can you believe it? *sigh* He just keeps on going, doesn't he?(The teacher, I mean.)   
^_^'   
  
Sending it over to Sango, she noticed Miroku pouting. Smirking to herself, she grabbed a clean sheet of paper and scribbled a quick note.   
  
'Awww, poor wittle Mirokie-poo is bein' weft out. *pout* Shows you, you pervert. Maybe Sango will tell you- if you keep to yourself- understand?'   
  
Tossing it to the curious lecher, Kagome caught Sango's paper football as it zoomed away, almost out of range. Oh, she was mad...   
  
'~.~   
Yeah, he never shuts up. That youkai did seem kinda strange- I mean, you're still alive and everything(don't get me wrong, we- Miroku and I- owe him a big one, you know? Miroku wouldn't have survived the night if you never showed up). I don't understand the Women's Convention thing, either.   
What are you doing? You aren't telling him are you?   
You better not have, Kagome... *growl*'   
  
'I'm Sango, hear me roar!   
Of course I didn't tell him, you untrusting idiot! I'm not that dumb! But, he'll be asking you, I'm sure. Probably before gym *hint, hint* Yeah, I owe that guy one- two, actually. I ran into him twice... In one day... how weird.   
*sigh*'   
  
Miroku's note was thrown back at the same time Sango's left Kagome's hand.   
  
'Oh, come on, Kag! Be a babe and tell me!'   
  
'... Lecher... I don't really feel like losing 17 years of my life in an instant, okay? Think of all the extra skin. *shutters* Eewwwww.... *shutters again*'   
  
Sango's letter-   
  
'Bored-As-Can-Be,   
Sorry, I jumped to conclusions. Do you think he might keep to himself just to know?   
Anyway, twice, huh? Wow... he's not normal at all, is he?   
Just-As-Bored-And-*Yawn*ing'   
  
'Sleepless Dreamer,   
Nope, yep, totally. I think that's all for today. *bows* Thank you, thank you!   
Friendly Frowner(I'm really getting tired of his tirade, doesn't he take a breath!?)'   
  
Miroku's note-   
  
'You getting a cold? Well, I'll wait, I guess... I just can't guarantee anything.'   
  
'Maybe, maybe not, and never even dreamt of it.'   
  
The teacher was just finishing with the classic ending she had long since memorized.   
  
"And, last but most certainly least. Schools. Schools for us humans," Mr. Never-Takes-A-Breath began, "is to learn how and how not to act in front of youkai; what we need to know to stay alive and out from under their feet; to learn about the defeat in the past that has put us in this awful position. School, in other words, is-"   
  
"To prepare you for us," a voice drawled from the doorway, ripping a startled gasp from the students and causing the teacher to jump out of his chair and fall gracelessly to the floor.   
  
There, leaning languidly against the room's entrance way, was the nightmare of all human beings.   
  
With golden eyes and silver hair.   
  
"Boo."   
  
  
~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~   
  
A/N: So, how was it? I'm sorry for such a long pause in between, but I have had some rather bad cases of WB every time I sit down to write this story... Maybe it's because of all the homework sitting next to me and the fact that the main setting for this story is a school... Seems reasonable.   
  
Anyway, please review and tell me what you think. I appreciate any kind of feed back- flame me if you must! ^_^; Must sound desperate. Oh, well...   
  
Ja ne, minna! 


	3. Not Just Another Bump in the Road

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha.   
  
**A/N:** Sorry for the break in updating. Hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

He stood, his body paralyzed much like his mind. A girl with ebony hair billowing in the wind watched the sky above her, his eyes locked on her form. She appeared at peace with everything around her, painted into the horizon.   
  
The minutes ticked by silently; the wind forgot to howl and the sounds of vehicles on the streets died as his mind closed them out, leaving only the girl before him. Each slight movement of her body was etched into his memory... but...   
  
He didn't remember anything, not a single moment, before this one... and when it ticked by, he lost it for eternity...   
  
He was nothing more than a shell.   
  
She looked over her shoulder, her gaze locking with his own for an intense moment.   
  
He knew her...   
  
Didn't he?   
  
A faint smile graced her lips, a flicker of light streaked across her gray-blue eyes. Turning slowly, she took a step toward the edge of the building, her feet half on, half off, and her hands still at her sides.   
  
He was scared...   
  
What was she doing? Who was she?   
  
Did he know her?   
  
He wanted to scream, but what would he shout? What kind of voice would speak for him? Were those emotions real- shells don't feel...   
  
He was numb; confused, yet empty of emotion; unable to move, unable to speak, unable to think; he was lost...   
  
Soulless...

* * *

When You're at the Bottom   
  
Not Just Another Bump in the Road

* * *

He smirked, flashing a fang that gleamed as maliciously as his golden eyes. His silver hair was haphazardly brushed, his triangular demonic ears swiveling around to catch each frightened squeal with delight. Blood red school attire covered the muscles that seemed to flex almost unconsciously.   
  
A youkai...   
  
Kagome's head snapped back to the blackboard that the teacher had previously been blocking. There it was in chalk...   
  
"Inuyasha," she whispered, sliding her gaze back over to the class' disturbance. Her eyes narrowed in confusion. _'What's a youkai doing in this school?'_   
  
His smirk faltered slightly as the name reached his ears. His eyes sought the owner's voice and found it.   
  
Kagome had just gained some very much unwanted attention.   
  
"... Keh," he snorted, walking over to the teacher's desk and sitting on the edge as he stared down each person in turn, a glare formed each time he moved to a new person. One by one, each teen took the look as their sentence and, like being found unsuitable to be in his presence, bowed their heads in complete, unadulterated shame.   
  
His gaze ended at Kagome.   
  
Kagome blinked owlishly.   
  
A vicious snarl formed on his lips at the defiant show.   
  
Kagome blinked again.   
  
"Bitch!"   
  
"Eh? Did I miss something?" she asked innocently, the new information still not having fully registered since shock had been first to set in her mind. "Oh, and my name's Kagome."   
  
"Girl, what the hell do you think you're doing?" the boy asked, stomping his way over to her desk, lowering himself to mere inches from her face. "Do you have some sort of death wish?"   
  
"Not that I know of," she replied, looking over her shoulder to see Sango tremble, visibly pale...   
  
Sango was afraid...   
  
That's all she needed for it all to finally be absorbed. She slowly turned back to the boy in front of her, fear set in her features.   
  
"KYA! YOUKAI!" she screeched, lifting her book and throwing it at the silver haired man, hitting him square in the jaw as he was much to startled by her sudden change to defend himself.   
  
"Gyah...!" Taken by surprise, Inuyasha couldn't help but stand there, staring at the girl in disbelief. Then it hit him... His vision turned red. "Wench, you'll pay for that!"   
  
"Sir!" a man shouted as his hand reached for her throat. "Sir, please forgive Kagome."   
  
Inuyasha stopped inches from the now silent teen. His eyes flickered to a boy with short black hair pulled into a rat tail who had left his seat to stand beside the girl Kagome, a protective aura around him. Inuyasha raised a questioning brow.   
  
"She encountered a youkai twice yesterday and it seems to have taken a toll on her," he stated, maintaining eye contact the entire time. "Please, don't take it the wrong way."   
  
_'Wrong way...?'_ What way was there to take it except that the girl was absolutely out of her mind?   
  
Kagome, shocked at Miroku's defensive actions, stared at her friend with thankful eyes. "Miroku..."   
  
"Kagome, you were so calm yesterday... What happened?" Sango asked quietly.   
  
"... Nothing... it just... I guess it just sunk in..."   
  
Inuyasha watched the three, glancing at the other students from the corner of his eyes. They all seemed speechless, waiting for his next move. What was he going to do? Kill her? Let her go?   
  
No, she'd pay...   
  
Grasping her upper arm, he hauled her up from her seat, causing her to squeak in protest and tug back a bit before deciding against trying to run. She followed him silently out of the classroom. The students all watched in a mixture of horror and apprehension. Inuyasha closed the door and walked down the hall away from the class room.   
  
When he finally stopped, his temper had calmed a bit. He glared at the girl, waiting for her reaction. The glare was enough to pierce and destroy any person's spirit with its distaste. Too bad Kagome wasn't just any person. After a few minutes, she glared back. "What are you looking at?"   
  
His eyes widened at the blatant disrespect, his anger now back full force. A deft hand reached out, wrapping around her neck and slamming her back against the wall. "Listen here, girl," he hissed, leaning in just enough for their noses to touch, "I am your superior in every way, your teacher's superior in every way, and your parent's superior in every way, understand? I rule here; I say, do, look at, and think anything I want. Get used to it!"   
  
Kagome struggled for air, kicking as she tugged at the offending hand. When he let her go, she slid down the wall to sit on the floor, eyes watering as her throat and lungs burned in earnest for the pleasure of oxygen. Inuyasha watched her with hatred in his eyes.   
  
"Do you understand?"   
  
She looked up at him, anger barely suporessed under the surface. "Try all you want, but its on your own conscience. I did what I did out of reflex and on accident." She breathed raggedly.   
  
"You won't be so brave when I get through with you, bitch."   
  
"I have a name, you know?" she spat. "It's Kagome, not bitch, not wench, not girl..."   
  
"I'll call you what I want."   
  
"Of course you will."   
  
He stared at her for a moment, not glaring, but certainly not in a friendly way. From here, it was merely a battle of wills stumbling clumsily into a war that neither of them would soon forget nor regret in the least.   
  
He was the one to break eye contact, seeing it as one big waste of time, but her voice brought his gaze back to her for a split second.   
  
"I am sorry, though," she whispered, looking at her feet as she stood. "I didn't mean to react like that, but you're the third youkai I've encountered in less than twenty-four hours and the last two scared me into shock. You just kind of woke me up, you could say."   
  
"Keh! Better get used to youkai, girl, you aren't going to see a life without them around."   
  
Kagome looked up, locking gazes with Inuyasha. "I know... I really am sorry."   
  
Inuyasha grunted and walked back in the room, Kagome right behind him only to have the door slammed in her face, barely missing her nose. She fumed and grumbled, "maybe I'm not so sorry after all," opening the door to join the class. She stomped to her seat, huffily.   
  
"Kagome, are you okay?" Sango asked concernedly.   
  
"Yeah, I'm fine..."   
  
"Boy!" Inuyasha shouted, capturing the classes attention again. He pointed a claw toward Miroku and asked for his name.   
  
"Miroku Kazaana."   
  
Inuyasha nodded, turning his attention back to the rest of the room. "Miroku is the kind of person you do **not** want to be, understand? Stand in my way and you'll regret it."   
  
BRRRRIIIIINGGGG!   
  
The entire class had that look that clearly said 'Saved By The Bell!' as they hurriedly picked their bags up and made a mad dash for the door all at once.   
  
"Class," the teacher called out, stopping them in their tracks. He had just gotten over his shock. "Come back and take your seats. Passes will be given to excuse your tardiness in next hour."   
  
"You're joking," Kagome laughed uncertainly.   
  
"No, I'm quite serious, Higurashi."   
  
"What are we being held back for?" Kagome asked, eyes becoming slits of suspicion.   
  
"For me," the youkai said with a fanged, arrogant smile. "I haven't told you the rules, yet, have I?"   
  
_'Oh, that grin is infuriating!'_ Kagome found herself quickly hating the boy sitting cross legged on the teachers desk. First of all, he had to be a jerk about her mistake, then shut the door in her face, and now... _'I've lived through two youkai, I'll make it through another...'_ Determined not to let him get his way so easily (Hey, talk about an adventure!), Kagome squared her shoulders and glared. "And just _who_ are you? I doubt you're a teacher, youkai."   
  
"I suggest you hold your tongue from now on, girl," he snarled, "or I'll rethink my letting that idiot talk me into letting you live."   
  
"Fine, _sir_," Kagome hissed, glaring defiantly.   
  
Inuyasha stared at her a moment, unsure what to make of her attitude or how to deal with it. He mentally shook it off and addressed the class. "Rules are simply this: Stay out of my way, speak only when spoken to, and do what you are told, when you are told, how your told. Raise your hand before speaking," he added. Miroku's hand rose. "Yes?"   
  
"What are we to call you?"   
  
The youkai thought about it for a moment, then replied, "my name's Inuyasha."   
  
"So...?" Miroku dragged out.   
  
"Call me by name."   
  
"Got it."   
  
Kagome raised her hand.   
  
"What!?" he snapped.   
  
"Why are you here, Inuyasha?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.   
  
"That is none of your business," he spat.   
  
"Are you-?"   
  
"Raise your hand!"   
  
"You spoke to me so why would it matter?"   
  
"I also told you to do what you're told when you're told to do it."   
  
"Oops. I forgot. Now, are you a student or a teacher."   
  
"You are pushing your luck."   
  
"I didn't ask about me." Inuyasha growled. "So?" she prompted impatiently.   
  
"I'm here because I want to be... Consider it supervision under extreme measures."   
  
"So you're a youkai in a human school," Kagome pieced together. Snorting, she whispered to herself about youkai and their ridiculous round-about answers.   
  
Inuyasha barely reigned in his temper before it slipped, biting his tongue. "Higurashi, you will remain in your seat after class is dismissed."   
  
"You can't do that!" she screeched, eyes wide.   
  
"Yes he can, Kagome-chan," Sango said in warning. Kagome shook in suppressed anger.   
  
"Any more questions?" Inuyasha drawled. The silence was deafening. "Then you may collect your passes and make your way to your next class."   
  
The students abided with no argument, collecting their passes and rushing out the door. When Miroku left, after having slipped a comforting arm over Kagome's shoulders and whispering 'I don't think he's that bad of a guy', only three bodies remained in the room- one promptly stuffing his face in a green grade book.   
  
"Was Hirouema present today?" he mumbled to himself.   
  
"No, sir," Kagome replied. "And Kikyou had to leave earlier... I really needed a punching bag today."   
  
The teacher's gaze rose. "Higurashi, you don't need another fight on your record."   
  
"And?" Receiving a disapproving shake of the head, Kagome turned her attention to the youkai. "What did you keep me after for?"   
  
"I can't believe you're dumb enough to defy a youkai," Inuyasha drawled. "Twice, even. You have to understand, I have a reputation to keep for my people and myself- that reputation is to destroy all who openly go against me. I won't stop myself from injuring you next time you talk back or don't comply with my words."   
  
"So threatening- I'm shaking in my skin."   
  
"You chose the wrong person to cross, Higurashi. I suggest you steer clear of me."   
  
"I do what I want, when I want, how I want. Not even you will change that, Inuyasha," Kagome stated. "You'll soon learn that I am not easily ruled. By anyone."   
  
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. _'So, she thinks surviving two youkai makes her invincible.'_ He smirked. "We'll just see about that."   
  
"You'll be awfully disappointed."   
  
His smirk spread out into a grin filled with delight and mischief. "... I think I'm going to enjoy this school, Higurashi. You will be my guide for the duration of this month. Hope we have close classes or you will be tardy quite often."   
  
"What!?" Kagome screeched, eyes bulging.   
  
"You heard me. Now, get up. It's time for you to show me where my next class is." He paused, took a piece of paper from his pocket and muttered, "Mr. Katsu."   
  
"You're kidding," Kagome dead-panned, sending Inuyasha an emotionally deprived look.   
  
"No."   
  
"Just great," Kagome groaned, slapping her forehead before letting the hand fall with a resounding 'SLAP' on her desk top.   
  
"What?"   
  
"Looks like we have second hour together, also," she mumbled, her head falling heavily to hammer down her hand.   
  
"Lucky you," Inuyasha chuckled, finding her predicament rather humorous.   
  
"Yeah," she sighed sarcastically into the imitation wood beneath her. "Luck me."

* * *

She wanted to shrivel up under a rock and cry. Second hour had just finished and she stood staring at the two sheets of paper in her hand, staring defeatedly at the words.   
  
Her schedule:   
  
1st hour: Mr. Waruko   
2nd hour: Mr. Katsu   
3rd hour: Ms. Mishikawaii   
4th hour: Mrs. Okusawa   
5th hour: Mrs. Takani   
6th hour: Mr. Kanaya   
  
His scedule:   
  
1st hour: Mr. Waruko   
2nd hour: Mr. Katsu   
3rd hour: Ms. Mishikawaii   
4th hour: Mrs. Okusawa   
5th hour: Mrs. Takani   
6th hour: Mr. Kanaya   
  
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" she plead. "You have to get a schedule change!"   
  
"Me?" Inuyasha asked. "I don't think so. How about you get a new schedule," he suggested, "if you really hate this so much..."   
  
"I've had this same schedule for years, though! I'm too used to it," Kagome explained. "Plus, my friends are in all of my classes as it is."   
  
"You mean I'm stuck with you, Miroku, and that other glaring bitch?"   
  
"That other glaring bitch happens to be my closest girl friend," she hissed, glaring at Inuyasha. "And her name is Sango."   
  
"Whatever." Kagome fumed with indignation. "If we're late for next hour, I'm blaming it on you."   
  
"Now that sounds just plain childish." Inuyasha shrugged and walked away, leaving Kagome behind him. "Oh- and, Inuyasha?" He glanced over his shoulder. "You're going the wrong way."

* * *

A/N: Not my best work, I know, but I hope you like it nevertheless. Have a nice day! 


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